This newsletter was shared by one of our clients and it really captures why one would have a virtual executive assistant:
Hi,
In theory, delegation should be the simplest of tasks. Simply ask/pay someone else to do it. The reality is that for most people, delegation seems nearly impossible. The great irony of this is that you already delegate 99.9% of the products and services in your life, all without a second thought.
For example, when have you questioned your having delegated products/services such as: making toilet paper, programing software, weaving fabric, mining lithium for your cell phone battery, generating electricity, etc?
In other words, you are already a master delegator, so let’s hand off just a few more things.
For your inspiration, below is a list of all the things I delegated to my Virtual Executive Assistant (Alison) over the last 6 months. Did she do these tasks better than I would have done myself? Sometimes, but certainly not always. Did she save me massive amounts of time that I was able to use on activities worth 25x her hourly rate?
Yes.
By the way, these are just a fraction of the things in my life/practice that I delegate to other people and/or technology AND it doesn’t include all of the things I simply eliminated.
Starting TODAY, what are three things in your life that you can either Eliminate or Delegate, be it to a person, a company and/or technology?
For those advisors who feel like they can’t afford to delegate (a vicious trap), then take these tasks and time block them into a single period each week where you are your own admin. At least this way you will be more productive at the tasks you should have delegated.
–Matthew
DELEGATED TASKS:
- Set up family calendar
- Disc profile for Jackie – Complete 10/29
- Cancel terminex
- Housekeeper in Issaquah, eventually ML – Scheduled for 11/16
- Ella Gymnastics class – Complete 10/30
- Physical therapy appointment for Jackie
- Installed What’s App
- Posted 11/15 Webinar info to LinkedIn
- Swim Class for Ella and Calvin (kids start on 11/20)
- https://www.swimlabs.com/kids-lessons
- FinCon Contacts
- FPA Connect – 84 Contacts
- FPA Connect – LinkedIN (made connections)
- Register for FPA in AZ
- Book Hotel for FPA
- Chef – sun basket – 1st order will be delivered on 11/29 – email into Jackie
- Follow up with Jackie about holiday cards. – Jackie is managing this
- Physician for Alice, Ella and Calvin
- http://www.allegropediatrics.com/location/issaquah-highlands
- Paid for house cleaning
- Executive physical for Jackie and me
- http://www.uwmedicine.org/locations/primary-care-issaquah
- Ordered gift card for Mary’s birthday
- Respond to all emails regarding FPA
- Cooking class for Jackie and me (invite friends to join) – Booked, 12/15
- Property in Moses Lake – change address to office
- Updated family calendar with school vacation schedule
- Eye doctor for Ella – probably wait until after her pediatrician visit. Ideally a doctor
- who has experience working with kids who struggle with reading and possibly dyslexia. Scheduled 2/7
- Cancel Sunbasket
- New Tim Ferris book
- Order book radical acceptance
- Ordered 12 Freshly Meals to be delivered on 12/13
- Transferred December cooking class from12/15 to 12/30
- Registered Jackie for January 11th cooking class (added 2nd ticket)
- Booked Tickets for Disney World
- Purchased Airfare for Orlando/Ella’s Birthday
- Reserved Hotel Room at Magic Animal Kingdom
- Posted Publisher Ad on UpWork
- Booked Ski Days at Snoqualmie
- Work with Colleen to get me a duplicate docking station for my house – Colleen is ordering this for you through the IT guy.
- Booked rental car for Orlando. Enterprise
- Book flight for BAM Success Summit Conference
- Connect w/ coaching program clients, please make sure I’m connected to all of them in LinkedIn, Address. Send Christmas Card.
- Purchase 50mm lens, Lav Mic, Zoom H1, Tripod
- Ordered 2 SanDisk SD cards for camera
- Ordered Zach a birthday gift card
- Paid Guarav on Upwork
- Recommend video camera set up for recording short videos of me explaining/demonstrating topics for our coaching program. Should be nicer than an iPhone, but not much more difficult to use/upload, etc. All videos will be indoors. Include lighting & sound? Easy to travel;
- Ghost writer
- Ordered Colleen flowers
- Ordered Gift Card for Gwyneth’s Birthday
- Ordered Gift Card for Brian’s Birthday
- Booked flight for Denver trip in February
- Booked hotel for Denver trip in February
- Booked hotel for California trip in May
- Booked Violin Lessons for Alice
- Researched mic and camera equipment for vlogging
- Paid Adam on Upwork
- Set up Alaska air mileage accounts for kids
- We need someone (Upworks) who can take our Publisher newsletter templete and make it more user friends/idiot proof. (see Note) Ad posted on 12/11
- Technical/manual author who can convert our systems into guidebooks – Upwork.com (see Note)
- Get approved by CFP board for CE credits in 2018
- Update Freshly order, 6 meals instead of 12
- For my new website I need someone who can handle all the logistics for podcasts. – Evo
- Schedule house cleaning for 2x a month, (in progress)
- Order camera for vlogging
- Doctor for Ella – not sure if she needs to see a dermatologist or some kind of natural path- she needs a full allergy test which will hopefully show why she’s always getting skin rashes/itches. She’s had tests in the past which is how we discovered her gluten allergy. Thanks
- Schedule Podcast Coaching w/ Evo and Micah
- Schedule Dinner w/ John and Gina
- Booked tickets for Jazz Alley with John and Gina
- Sent in FPA Speaker Agreement and reimbursement invoice
- Completed project for Colleen for live Q&A for coaching program
- My girls (9 & 12) want their own youtube channel so they can upload silly videos they make. I’m not wild about the idea, but I’d rather regulate the idea than fight it. Any suggestions on how to set something like this up, specifically with comments turned off and no ability to contact my kids? Maybe we set up an email account that they can’t access, or maybe we do a Vimeo account that where they can invite friends/family to watch instead of general public?
- We need someone who can take my power points and make them awesome visually, improve the content and add more source citations. – I’ll send you samples
- Family birthdays, $50 siblings/in-laws, $25 cousins; gift card, email parents for suggestions, coordinate with Jackie
- Ordered David’s Bday Gift Card
- Schedule dinner w/ Monna
- Made Reservations at Derby
- Canceled tutoring for Alice
- Ordered Social Security: The Inside Story, 2018 Silver Anniversary Edition
- Updated Alaska Mileage Plans, including Matthew and all kids
- Ordered Stock Images for Power Point Presentation
- Ordered Social Security Book for office
- Sent Jackie info about Scuba Class
- Can we set up a text number where people (e.g. advisors in my coaching program) could text pictures to me? I don’t want to use my cell phone, but rather some kind of corporate number. There must be some way to do this, ideally online, but worst case we could set up another phone.
- Email Michael to ask about permissions/licensing to use images from his site, specifically the slides he created for the blog post link below. I want to use them in client presentation and in teaching other advisors. Be sure to use my name and reference our podcast together. I’m glad to pay a monthly/annual subscription fee and I’m already a paid member of his site. Try to email someone on his team and not him directly.
- Ppt timeline
- Cancelled flight from FLL to SEA, and SEA to DFW
- Booked flight from FLL (Fort Lauderdale) to DFW – See note
- Client birthday cards – quality is key
- Organized Client Excel spreadsheet for birthday cards
- Book travel for FPA retreat in April – lets go ahead and do this with three itineraries – #1 Early 23rd to late 26; #2 23-28th. – Just those two should be good.
- Tell Evo podcast guy we want to work with him using his gold medal service where he does everything- ask him what equipment he wants us to use, both for in person and for when Micah and I are in different locations. Order whatever he recommends.
- Try to change to upworks email address so they stop coming to me.
- More travel changes 😉 – Keep Dallas flights as is. ANOTHER round of change?!? I got it taken care of. I’m flying from Seattle to Anchorage to Vegas. (Matthew did this)
- Move dinner date w/ John & Gina to Friday night at Jazz Alley
- Find survey program for Colleen and Stephanie
- Ordered Birthday Gift Card for James
- Renewed vehicle tabs for the Piago
- I added the kids mileage numbers to your trip to Utah in July
- Submitted CE Credits Program Approval questions to Colleen
- Called CFP to walk me through the CE Credit – program approval process
- Ordered video equipment for recording studio
- Booked BlackLane ride from DEN Airport to hotel
- Reserved parking at Seatac Airport
- Make donation of $100 to soulumination.org in honor of Gretta and Courtney
- Rent a car for Florida trip in March
- Followed up with Evo about Podcast Demos
- Find survey program for Colleen and Stephanie
- Scheduled Dive Class for Jackie, Matthew and Alice
- Booked massage therapist for Boulder Trip
- Booked BlackLane pick up in Boulder
- Work with Colleen to find an office cleaner
- Apply for CE credits in March retreat ( Matthew Finalized)
- Updated all flights/seats out of the front row of first class
- Ordered office furniture and decor for video studio
- Set up all current video equipment
- Canceled April 28th flight from Phoenix to Seattle
- Booked tickets to Hawaii & Sent Micah itinerary
- Booked rental car for Hawaii
- Sent Rainmaker website template choice
- Paused Freshly for the month of March
- Ordered all stock images for Jenna/Power Point Presentations
- Book Hawaii flights for family –
- Flights booked
- Reserved 4 door Jeep Wrangler – (you pay for the vehicle when you pick it up)
- Book Hotel – Staying at Wiaea (yep that’s not how its spelled but its some Hawaiian name).
- Send confirmation of flights
- Confirm stock images can be used for website
- Get receipts to Colleen for Limitless Adviser Conference – by 3/9
- Hired Massage Therapist for Dallas Retreat
- Reserve rooms for Family Adventure Summit – Awaiting the email confirmation. Paid today over the phone.
- Email management – see new note on subject
- ADV mailing project for Colleen – Ordered Thumb Drives
- Updated hotel reservations for April FPA retreat
- Order merchandise with new family logo. Two 2’ “sticker” and a roll of 2” stickers – Ordered, Awaiting Quote, invoice, etc.
- Appointment with surgeon – I need to get my “Inguinal hernia” fixed (lucky me!). Please get me scheduled with a surgeon in the greater Bellevue/Issaquah area. The Overlake Urgent care clinic in Issaquah has my ultrasound results. Premera Blue Cross, but it’s a high deductible plan so really I’m paying for it. My schedule is hell right now, but Monday’s and Fridays are best.
- Format and upload CE Attendance Reports
- I changed my Florida flight to the 9th. Please change my rental car location and days, and find me a hotel in St. Petersburg Florida from the 9th when I arrive to the 11th when I drive to Orlando to meet Jackie and Ella
- Please restart my meals
- Purchase Hunchback of Notre Dame for Cindy and Nathaniel
- Reviewed Teachable & Course Cats, Excel Spreadsheet
- Sent files to USB company for ADV mailing project
- Research options for having Jackie and Ella fly to Tampa on the 10th (vs currently flying to Orlando on the 11th). If the cost is less than $100 per person, please make the change. $250.00
- Please start tracking time you spend working on my project with Micah (The Perfect RIA). Don’t worry about looking back, just going forward. Keep a tally in the M&M show notebook. Hour increments are plenty with very brief descriptions.
Changed Name Server for Perfect RIA - ADV mailing project for Colleen
- Ordered Thumb Drives on 3/14
- Send Document to USB Memory Direct no later than 3/26
- Registered Matthew for patient portal for Dr. El Ghazzawy
- Sent Nate (video guy) equipment list
- Please contact JP Morgan to ask about our ability to use slides from their “Guide to the Market” in client presentations. What are their requirements/restrictions for doing so?
- Ordered more video equipment suggested by Nate
- Ordered new Apple iPad for video prompter
- Work with Colleen to see if there is a way you can answer phones for us at least some of the days she is out for her surgery. It’s too much for Nathaniel to do on his own. Because we have a VOIP phone system you can answer the phones through an app remotely. Probably only for a few days and only when it fits your schedule.
- Set up team dropbox
- House cleaner for Colleen? I’m trying to think of something nice to do for Colleen during her surgery recovery and the only idea I had was to get her a house cleaner for three weeks. Maybe the same person who does our office?
- Follow up with CFP about CE registration form
- Micah is coming to town this weekend. Please see if there’s anyway Nate would be available Saturday to help film. How much is he charging? Also book us two rooms at the Marriot Federal Way Friday night and just one room Saturday night.
- Please reach out to the web designer who created this site to see if they can do something similar for our family blog. It needs to be a set up that is super easy for us to use
- Email Jaron about family adventure blog
- Canceled hotel for Matthew and Micah
- Ordered Kelly – Get well flowers
- Canceled Nate’s studio visit w/ Matthew and Micah
- Book Elephant Experience in Gainesville
- Purchased Disney Annual Passes for Matt, Jackie and Ella
- Paid personal bills, UW, Overlake, Grant County, & Paclab
- Order flowers for Jackie’s birthday
- Started Rev account for transcription service
- Schedule a dermatologist appointment for Jackie
- Check out the app “notion” as an alternative to Evernote. Supposed to be even better than Evernote – $8 per month, per user. I think it looks very valuable. Check out Monday App also
- Get 5 most important features to web designer
- http://turftosurf.com Site we love
- gonewiththewynns.com another site we love
- https://www.crazyfamilyadventure.com
1. Looks professional and NOT like a cheap template site
2. Easily hosts blogs, including videos (I think the latter can be embedded??)
3. Ability to include stuff from other sites like a map of our location/travel
4. Easy to upload/change pictures
5. Allows for subscribers & ties to social media
- Set up account at either Indeed or Monstor for upcoming job posting
- I need to be able to share videos with Limitless Advisor people. Currently the website can’t support video, so I need to just have a link to share. Is this something we should set up in Vimeo or is there a better platform?
- Edit Taxes and Economy PPT – emailed to Matt on 4/18
- Let’s discuss how to improve the system for booking my travel, using this last Florida trip as an example (missing hotels, Marriot rewards not linked, no economy plus for Jackie/Ella). Going forward please make sure all travel details are in my calendar, everything is tied to my rewards programs and that flights are, at a minimum, economy plus or first class. Be very careful when making changes to flights to not lose status.
- Skipped Freshly meals for week of 4/25
- Uploaded FPA Retreat PPT
- Booked Blacklane Driver for FPA Retreat from Airport & to Kevins
- Changed Upworks primary payment to new business card
- Edit Taxes and Economy PPT – emailed to Matt on 4/18
- Let’s discuss how to improve the system for booking my travel, using this last Florida trip as an example (missing hotels, Marriot rewards not linked, no economy plus for Jackie/Ella). Going forward please make sure all travel details are in my calendar, everything is tied to my rewards programs and that flights are, at a minimum, economy plus or first class. Be very careful when making changes to flights to not lose status.
- Updated Youtube channel name to “Highly-efficient, hyper-profitable lifestyle practice”
- Rescheduled office cleaning for Wednesday this week, 4/24
- Order bluetooth foot teleprompter
- I’m going to visit my brother on Tuesday night just using uber. On Thursday please just schedule a car to the airport in the afternoon.
- I can’t find Nate’s contact info, but I’m in the process of uploading tons of video into the dropbox account. Please have him start reviewing these and converting them into a series of training videos. At his discretion this could be one large video, or multiple videos. Please have him also advise us what technology enhancements we need to make as MIcah and I will be recording several more hours of video in two weeks.
- Did we get a mic for the camera? I found a mic cover but no mic. Would have been helpful for recording our workshop. – If I am answering the right questions, Two Lav mics were delivered on 4/3 along with some black gaffers tape… I haven’t been to the office since before then. Do you remember getting it?
- Book/pay catering when required for SLC event for 50 people
- Cancel everything related to family adventure summit. Decided not to go – I have an email into the resort. 4/25
- Family Blog/Website – Sent follow up email on 4/16
- The Perfect RIA
- Emailed Jenna about slide deck project, waiting on response.
- Uploaded Matt’s car audio for transcription. Will have back by 4/22.
- Estimate from Nate for video editing – Nate’s rate for consultation, production and editing is $75 / hour. He is estimates that for every hour of record time there’s 3-6 hours behind the scenes editing.
- Posted job request on Upworks for landing page content writer/wizard. 4/20
- Presentation for FPA next week
- Have transcribed all of the audio I recorded from my car, found in M&M notebook -Should be done by Sunday afternoon 4/22
- Please get me a summary of how much we’ve paid Adam over time by project
- 12.27.17 $250.00
- 2.21.18 $600.00
- 4.2.18 $605.55
- $1450.55
- I need some kind of software for my computer that will record me (video and audio) while also letting viewers see my screen. Maybe this is the same thing we use in the recording studio, maybe it’s separate. Ideally just requires my web cam. – Message into Nate on 4/23, he will get back to me on 4/25 – Matt to use Zoom per 4/30 121
- Find a marina for our new boat near Titusville Florida. We need a summer home for our new boat. See note
- Purchase SD Cards that write at 120+ MB/s
- Schedule call w/ Matt and Nate
- April FPA Excel spreadsheet w/ attendees names (worked on w/ Victoria)
- Booked Blacklane car for May FPA speaking arrangement.
- FPA Orange County Invite – See new note
- I’ve got my Dad’s b-day gift covered so no Amazon card please
- Sea to Tampa May 19-22; 1st class; business; need rental car but no lodging (sleeping on boat) (booked flights, reserved car, put confirmation #’s in calendar)
Get Perfect RIA content to Matt Ledoux - Book Track Conference Trip – Half Moon Bay
- Flight
- Hotel
- Register for conference
- Car
- Calendar
- Book Tampa flight for Stephen
- Sent slide deck to Jenna for OC speaking agreement
- Have a conversation with Jenna about a monthly contract.
- Ordered Jackie massage gift card
- Ordered Cindy flowers
- Send slide deck to Julie for OC FPA presentation
- Find somewhere I can ship Packages for my trip to Florida next week. Maybe a UPS store?
- Set up gmail for Perfect RIA
- Canceled Matthew’s Tamp car and rescheduled for Stephen to pick it up
- Set up Square account for JF
- Change my Florida rental car to when my buddy Stephen arrives and in his name. He will probably have to use his credit card and then I will switch it to mine once I arrive.
- How do we keep the camera from shutting off automatically? It only captured half of my presentation with Micah. – Did the new memory cards help?
- Ordered Sarah’s birthday gift card
